PHILADELPHIA – The charity for troubled youths started by Jerry Sandusky more than three decades ago – and through which the retired Penn State assistant football coach met the boys he is charged withCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Tom Izzo is not a coach who likes to take his foot off the gas pedal.
But he did, and as a result, 11th-ranked Michigan State had more fuel in the tank.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green had 12 – and a critical talk with the coach – and the defense-minded Spartans beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday, ending the Buckeyes’ 39-game home winning streak.
“I told him the most important thing for us is going to be energy, trying to keep our energy level high,” Green said of his conversation before Friday’s workout. “Pretty much everything was just a walkthrough, knowing your assignments. That was really key for us.”
Izzo admitted giving the Spartans a light practice the day before a major showdown was “something I never do.”
The Spartans (20-5, 9-3 Big Ten) pulled into a tie with the Buckeyes (21-4, 9-3) for first place in the conference by playing a withering, physical defense. Ohio State hit just 26 percent of its shots from the field (14 of 53).
“I thought we did a good enough job defensively to win the game,” Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said.
“It all came down to our inability to put the ball in the basket.”
Izzo was happy with what he called perhaps his team’s best defensive effort of the year, but also said he was relieved that the Buckeyes continually misfired even when unguarded.
“Maybe they wore down a little bit, I don’t know,” he said. “They missed some threes, a couple of open, open ones late that I’ve seen them make on a regular basis.”
Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger had 17 points and 16 rebounds but was just 5 of 15 from the field and turned the ball over 10 times.
Bishop Luers graduate Deshaun Thomas and William Buford, averaging a combined 30 points, totaled just 12 – each hitting just 2 of 12 shots from the field.
“I wasn’t expecting the double (team). Michigan State didn’t show that on film,” Sullinger said.
“They had a great game plan.”
PENN STATE 67, NEBRASKA 51: In State College, Pa., Tim Frazier scored 23 points and Cammeron Woodyard added 14 as the Nittany Lions (11-15, 3-10 Big Ten) snapped a five-game losing streak.
Dylan Talley led Nebraska (11-13, 3-10) with 12 points in the Cornhuskers’ fourth straight loss.
